The Long Summer
Sunset pulls the bedsheets over their bodies, snuggling into Cheerilee's arms and relishing the skin-to-skin contact. She sighs. There's a certain contentment that comes from being single. It's nothing compared to this.
"So," Sunset says. She circles a fingertip in the valley between Cheerilee's breasts. "How long have you...?"
Cheerilee lifts her head and glances down at Sunset. "How long have I what?"
"Been into me." Sunset smirks.
"Ah." Cheerilee's head flops back against the pillow. "Honestly, nothing I say will sound impressive, compared to what you told me."
Sunset leans up and kisses her on the cheek. "You don't need to impress me. I just need assurance that you weren't hot for me back in 9th grade."
Cheerilee bolts upright and glares at Sunset; the covers slip down to her waist. "What do you take me for, Sunset?"
"Well, you are in bed with the former school bully," Sunset teases.
Cheerilee's face goes scarlet. She flops back down, and pulls the sheets up to her chin. "Oh goodness, you're right. I'm the worst. I'm literally the worst person in the world."
"I'm only teasing." Sunset aligns her body with Cheerilee's, draping one of her legs over both of hers. "And I'm not jailbait, either. Relax."
The sheets lower, and Cheerilee turns a half-smile onto Sunset. "Well, that much I pieced together a while ago. The other Twilight, the pony one – your friends tell me she's an adult where she comes from. I figure, the two of you are at least the same age..."
Sunset blushes. "I'm a little older than her, actually."
"Older?" Cheerilee blinks. "By how much?"
"Uh..." Sunset scratches her cheek sheepishly. "We're talking about you, not me, remember?"
The older woman gives Sunset a familiar, smoky look.
Sunset feels a brief pang – a hollow echo of what she used to feel, but it's felt nevertheless. Then Cheerilee inhales, slowly and deeply, and the comforting sound of her breathing fills Sunset with warmth. She's drawn back into the moment, her cares forgotten and her pangs dashed away.
"...Since the fall formal. Or not long after it." Cheerilee pushes away from Sunset and rolls onto her side, and Sunset rolls to face her. "That night changed a lot of things, but it changed you most of all. You shed your old persona, and became kind, and compassionate... but when I saw the things you and your friends were capable of, that's when I really knew."
Sunset grins. "I think you gave me this speech already."
Smirking, Cheerilee reaches over and smacks Sunset's bare bottom lightly. Sunset yelps, then giggles.
"Accuse me of unoriginality, will you," Cheerilee grouses. Then there's a weighty pause as she fixes Sunset with a stare, her face growing more serious. "How about this, then? I fell for you because you became someone worth falling for."
Sunset's eyes sting. She kisses Cheerilee's cheek, and snuggles against her again.
Lying there, pillowed by her new lover's breast, Sunset finds herself fulfilled. Yet a disquiet, a kernel of doubt, lingers. Images of a frizzy-maned filly with a gleaming grin and peppermint breath play through Sunset's mind. She does her best to sweep them away, to focus on the beautiful woman holding her, but they're still there, at the fringes of her memory.
In every meaningful way, Cheerilee is not the same as her reflection. Sunset knows that now more than ever. But when she hears her voice, when sees those green eyes gazing at her, part of her thinks back to diamonds and autumn leaves and peppermint. Sunset wonders if that will always be the case – if the filly from behind the mirror will forever stand between them.
"Where do we go from here?" Sunset whispers, half to herself.
Cheerilee answers. "I'm not sure. Your own past notwithstanding, it's been a long time since I've had a partner, and I never had many before now. A boyfriend in high school, a girlfriend in college... an 'arrangement' in graduate school... I'm not the most experienced when it comes to things like this."
"Me neither." Sunset strokes Cheerilee's bare stomach, before finding her hand and clasping it. "I know that I want this, though. I know that I want you."
"And I, you." Cheerilee nuzzles Sunset's cheek.
Sunset catches her head as she pulls away, and looks into Cheerilee's eyes. Her mind recalls moonlight and cool air on bare shoulders, and the taste of punch on her lips.
They kiss, deeply, as the long summer stretches out before them.
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This, thus far, is super cute and intriguing! :D I'll totally get on finishing this ASAP.
"Sixty page annotated biblography" I totally know that feel.
I can ask LeekFish about using the art. We're friends IRL. Give me a few seconds.
8400375 Don't suppose you've heard back?
Aw, well this was just full of cute moments all over! Sunset x Cheerilee isn't the strangest pairing I've ever seen, but it's probably the best written strange pairing I've seen recently. As much as I loved the development of our main couple, I thought Flash and Derpy (I know it's 'Muffins' but old habits die hard) ending up together was a cute nod to the running gag from the films.
I'm curious, is this canon to the TMG series? I remember you mentioning you were making another story in that universe, but aren't sure whether this is it. I can kind of see it fitting in.
8402223 Not gonna lie, I would be content with Flash and
DerpyMuffins ending up together in the series. I'm pretty sure they're setting up Sunset and Flash, though.Also, no, this is a standalone and not connected to any of the other continuities I've set up. Though the Eyeball, being a luminous cosmic entity without the constraints of linear space/time, is probably aware of is particular reality, and ships Sunset and Cheerilee together. The sequel I have in mind is actually a direct sequel to that story.
I should create a separate category on my profile for my standalones, come to think of it.
8401891
Sent you a PM, but you're good to go! :D
That was a really strong and good story, and I'm astonished it's gotten such little exposure so far, even if it was only published two days ago. Kudos for writing a powerful pure romance, and I think you stand a good chance at winning this! Or at least doing real well.
Also:
I've never had braces. But if I did, and if I felt insecure about them, I feel like this line would make me feel really confident about them instead: it's so good!
8403922 Hey, feel free to expose me if you'd like!
...Uh, you know what I mean. Heh.
D'aww.
This story was amazing. The characterizations for Cheerilee and Sunset were great, and the slow build-up of their relationship was wonderfully written. The flashbacks just served to accentuate and build the tension throughout the story, which I thought was a nice touch that helped set the atmosphere. All in all, I think this might be the strongest entry in the contest. Good luck!
La història va ser genial! Em va encantar el desenvolupament de personatges i la forma en què vau passar entre escenes! La vostra descripció m'ha fet feliç i espero que ho feu bé. Assegureu-vos que no poseu la salsa a la bugaderia.
I loved this story. And not just because I've had a framed mini print of the cover art on my shelf for years.
Cheerilee was one of my favorite background ponies for awhile in the early seasons of the show. The version that you've created doesn't really match what I had constructed inside my head, but for the most part I like what you've done with her. That being said, this Cheerilee did feel a little... weak-willed? The scholarly streak makes sense, and it's an obvious way to connect her to Sunset (SunLight works, so turning Cheerilee into Twilight works), but throughout much of the story I couldn't help but feel that she's written to be much less mature than Sunset. This led to some mixed feelings when she tore up her resignation letter, and when she ended up sleeping with Sunset. I can understand these actions, but they felt immature.
I can't help but feel that you did that intentionally, however. In the first chapter you very explicitly established that in terms of developmental age, Cheerilee is only a year older than Sunset, and Sunset's wider variety of experiences in her life would give her a more experienced outlook on the world. So I guess I should say that you did a good job of making Cheerilee old enough to be a teacher, but young enough to do something this immature!
All in all, this is a really cute story. Sunset's trepidation about the relationship is well developed, and Cheerilee's is self-evident. The important part is that in the end, there was a big ol' helping of d'awww!
8447071
Your comment inspired an idea for a possible sequel to this story (one that I might not get around to writing for a while
).
So, thank you for doing that.
Not my personal favorite out of this contest, but I absolutely understand it winning.
Nicely done!
Very well done. This story definitely deserved 1st place. I never thought a Sunset/Cheerilee ship would work but this is super cute.
I can see why this won. Grats on an excellent story, man!
8447071
This may sound unkind to say about Cheerilee, but there's precedent for that. Do you realize how often she let others walk all over her in various episodes in earlier seasons, mostly Diamond Tiara? But you can also see shades of it in S06E14 - The Cart Before the Ponies. When the older sisters are being all unreasonable and insist on driving the carts themselves, instead of laying down the law and standing up for the fillies, she just rolls her eyes and permits this travesty to go on. There's enough of this kind of behavior to establish a clear pattern, as much as I don't really like it. I've thought more than once that Cheerilee could stand to show some backbone as an authority figure once in a while.
This probably isn't quite what what you were getting at, but I just felt like sharing my observation. I also like Cheerilee a lot and I think she's great, but this does seem to be a character flaw that she has.
8470329
That's a very good point, and one I won't disagree with.
8453849
That's honestly the most exciting bit of feedback I've ever gotten in reply to one of my comments!
I guess it wasn't the most terrible thing I've ever read, but it still didn't have nearly enough tactical espionage action for a Posh story.
8538431 if only there were some way to insert tactical espionage into this story
perhaps in spinoff form
8538547
READY WHEN YOU ARE, MOTHERFUCKER.
Dang, just read this and i loved it
But it's over, and this is the end.
I'll miss you Sunnilee </3